Card for sequence sorting



Patented Nov. 28, 1950 [TED STATES PATENT QFFIGE 2,531,786 'onli-D FoeSEQUENCE fsoR'rING Albert A. Reinhold, san iinelso, Calif. ApplicationNovember 5, 1948, serial iso. 58,494 4 claims. (cl. 12e-lan Thisinvention relates to cards, dat sheets and the like (hereinafter calledcards) for classication purposes `and for iseqilence sorting that aresimilar to the card shown in my United States Letters Patent No.`2,424,053 of July l5, 1947.

Cards herein disclosed are formed adjacent one or more edges thereofwith coded openings or perforations, one or more voi. which are slottedout to the ledge of the card to provide a lnotcrll or pattern of notchesidentifying the card. The openings in val1 cards are arranged "toregister with eaich other when the edges of the cards are aligned in astack or row, so that a separating needle 'or rod thrust through one setat a time of any `sets of registering openings, and then lifted, willcarry with it all cards in which said openings are `not slotted out, butthe card or cards, in the fsaid set of openings, that are slotted out tothe edge, will fall from the elevated stack.

It is understood that the stack referred to above extends horizontallyso that the cards themselves are substantially vertical.

The method employed for sequence sorting is old, and the generalstructure employed is old. Prior to my .disclosure in the abovementioned patent, `the openings to be slotted out were arranged in one,two or three rows parallel with an edge of each card. These rows weredivided into elds and these fields usually have had the same number ofopenings in each with code symbols, usually numbers, identifying theopenings in .each field. The fields in series from one 'end of the rowsVto the other have been usually identied for "units, tens hundreds"thusands, etc., being limited only by the length of the `card ortheextent to which the nuinerical `classifying system maybe required.

VTn my above mentioned patent, an arrange- `nient wasshown in which onlyfour openings were required in each field, being arranged two wide andtwo deep, and `by this arrangement the space that was formerly requiredfor accomplishing the same result was reduced by a third, thus`pnfrnitting a very great extension of the datacapacity of each cardwithout increase in the size of the card, or else the' size ofthe cardcould be greatly reduced without sacrice in the amount of vdata thereon.

In order to obtain the desired results in the card shown in said patent,it was necessary to 'slot out an opening in one or more elds in certaincards at an angle to the adjacent edge of the card. While this offeredno particular probe dem for hand punching, it was discovered that by aslight repositioning of the four openings in each iield, overcam'e theproblem of slotting out the openings with faster quantity punching gap.-paratus, and that the slotting out by hand punches was 'accomplishedmore accurately 'and easily. Y

:'ne rof the objects of this invention is the provis'io'n of a cal-'dhaving ope'nings in the iields so `'arranged that diagonal or slanted'slottingout of the 'desired opening or opening in `each iield may beaccomplished accurately 'and `easily and `v'vithout objectionable lossin the strength .o'f the card Vwhen the sorting operation is being done.

Another object of the invention is a Adifferent arrangement of Vtheopenings in each eld 4in se- -le'ctive sort-ing cards of the type shownin my previously "mentioned patent whereby faster and more :accurate'diagonal slotting out of one or ln'orefo'f the openings `in the fieldsmay be accomfplished without olojectionab'ly weakening the carda'ndwith'ou't floss in the results and advantages thereof.

In the drawings, Fig. l is a plan View of' a card that is illustrativeof the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of a card having a different patternof notches from that shown in Fig. l.

In detail, each card `l is provided with a row of openings 2 close to anedge thereof and paralleltherewith, while a second row 'of openings 3`is parallel :with said edge but spaced slightly farther therefrom.Thus, a pair of A'parallel rows of openings i'sadjacent one edge 1 ofthe card. VIt is obvious that a pair of rows of 'such openings may bealong any of the other edges of the card, if desired; and usually suchrow is along one or more -of such other edges'.

VThe openings in these rows are the same in number, wf, Aevery otheropening of rowri is slightly offset toward row 2 and. 'also is closer`toi one the adjacent .openings atnohe .sidether'ejo lso ,each opening 4ispreyferab'ly smaller than the other openings, while `the latter rareof uniform ."siz., 1

. seepage i in .ew ,-.3 eine een Genies 14u-are) in alignment with an`adjacent opening ,6 in row "2f .at right angles to the adjacent edge-of the card. n

`llt `is, to be understood that invention is not limited to the precisedimensions of `the openings, biit as an example, the openings ft mayeach be about .005 of an inch less in diameter than the Adiameter ofeach of the remaining openings, while the remaining openings may eachhave `a diameter of about .092. inGhS; Siri of these tintinH ings ineach row may be in each inch extending longitudinally of the row.

The offset of each opening 4 in one direction longitudinally of row 3may be only about half the diameter of each opening 4 and about the samedegree of offset is toward row I, or about .04 of an inch of the size ofthe openings is that given above.

The openings in the rows are divided by lines I6 into fields of fouropenings in each field. One of the openings 4 is in each eld andopenings 4 are each similarly positioned in each eld.

The openings in row 2 in each group may be identified by the numerals 1,3 which numerals may be printed adjacent said openings if desired. Theopenings in row 3 in each group may be identified by the numerals 7 and2.

Following the usual practice of slotting out such openings singly or incombinations of two, it will be clear from Figs. 1, 2 that all digitsfrom one to nine are readily obtained by directly slotting out openingsin either row 2 or row 3 directly to the edge 'l except in the case ofthe digit 6. The card shown in Fig. 1 has the openings slotted out foridentifying the card as Card No. 62,371, while the card of Fig. .2 hasits openings slotted out for identifying the card as No. 590,468. Thusthe ten thousand field of the card of Fig. 1 and the ten field of Fig. 2must each make provision for the digit 6, which has been done bydiagonally slotting out the opening for designating the digit 7 throughthe opening for identifying the digit 1.

In the type of notching shown in the drawings, the card having thediagonal slotting will drop from the stack when a needle is thrustthrough the holes identifying the digit 7, and in a sequence sortingoperation the cards bearing the digit 6 anywhere in their combinationwill be in correct order after said operation is performed.

The sorting for one field from 0 to 9 will be described, it beingassumed that the stack of cards are numbered from 0 to 9. Inasmuch asresort must be had to a second field in order to obtain the numeral 10,the operation will be restricted to one eld, which field may beconsidered as the field designated units on the card.

The sorting needle or pin is rst thrust through the opening identifiedby the numeral l and upon lifting the needle the cards identied as 0, 3,and 7 will be retained on the needle While the cards identified as 1,"2, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9, will drop therefrom.

The cards retained on the needle are then removed therefrom and thosethat were released are placed in the rear of the stack or row. Theneedle is then inserted through the openings designated 2, therebyfreeing cards identified as 2, 5, and 9, which latter cards are placedat the rear of the stack and the needle is then thrust through theopenings designated 3 for freeing cards identified as 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and9. These latter cards are placed at the rear of the row. The operationperformed with the needle in the openings designated 'l will result infreeing the cards designated l6j "7, 8 and 9, and at this point it is tobe noted that the card designated 6 will be just ahead of the onedesignated 7 and all cards will be in sequence, it being understood thatthe above re- !{61} [(7,11 ((8)), (t9), the back of the stack or row.

In a zone indicated at II are two openings I2 that may be employed foruse in sorting cards where a zero is involved in the identifying number,but this is no part of the present invention.

The conventional punch employed for slotting out one of the openings inrow 3, one of which slots is indicated at I3 in Fig. 1 is not adaptedfor making the diagonal slot I5 (Fig. 1). However, by positioning theopenings 4 nearer to row I2 and to the opening 5, and by making openings4 slightly smaller in diameter than the other openings, the openings 4may readily be slotted out by swinging the punch about a point adjacentthe nearest edge of the card so that the outer end of said punch willcut out the opening 4 without objeetionably weakening the card.Furthermore, the slotting out of the openings 4 in directions at rightangles thereto, as seen at I4, will not cause any objectionableweakness.

It may be noted that the punch for slotting out the openings need notnecessarily extend to the closed side of the opening that is oppositethe side that is to be slotted out. Also, a hand punch may be readilyused for punching out the holes.

I claim:

1. A card for classification purposes having a first row of uniformdiameter equally spaced openings formed therein along one edge paralleltherewith, a second row of openings formed in said card, alternateopenings in said second row being in alignment with a correspondingopening in said first row in direction perpendicular to said edge andthe other openings in said second row between said alternate openingsbeing offset in one direction longitudinally of said second row and alsooffset toward said rst row distances respectively less than the diameterof the openings in said rst row the openings in said first and secondrows being grouped in series of four approximating a square with theoffset opening in each of said series of four being in the perimeter ofthe square opposite said edge.

2. A card for classication purposes having a first row of uniformdiameter equally spaced openings formed therein along one edge paralleltherewith, a second row of openings formed in said card, alternateopenings in said second row being in alignment with a correspondingopening in said first row in direction perpendicular to said edge andthe other openings in said second row between said alternate openingsbeing oiiset in cnecdirection longitudinally of said second row and alsooffset toward said first row distances respectively less than thediameter of the openings in said first row, the said openings in saidrst row and in said second row being arranged in groups of four with oneof said offset openings being in each group and in the same relationshipto the other openings in each group the openings in said first andsecond rows being grouped in series of four approximating a square withthe offset opening in each of said series of four being in the perimeterof the square opposite said edge.

3. A card for classication purposes having a first row of uniformdiameter equally spaced openings formed therein along one edge paralleltherewith, a second row of openings formed in said card, alternateopenings in said second row being in alignment with a correspondingopening in said first row in direction perpendicular to said edge andthe other openings in said second row between said alternate openingsbeing offset in one direction longitudinally of said second row and alsooffset toward said first row distances respectively less than thediameter of the openings in said first row, the said openings so offsetbeing slightly smaller in diameter than the openings in said rst row theopenings in said rst and second rows being grouped in series of fourapproximating a square with the ofset opening in each of said series offour being in the perimeter of the square opposite said edge.

4. A card for classication purposes having a rst row of uniform diameterequally spaced openings formed therein along one edge paralleltherewith, a second row of openings formed in said card, alternateopenings in said second row being in alignment with a correspondingopening in said first row in direction perpendicular to said edge andthe other openings in said second row between said alternate openingsbeing oset in one direction longitudinally of said second row and alsooffset toward said rst row distances respectively less than the diameterof the openings in said irst row, one of the openings so offset beingslotted out to the adjacent edge of said card through one of theopenings that is in alignment to said edge with the opening in saidsecond row that is adjacent the said oiset opening, the openings in saidfirst and second rows being grouped in series of four approximating asquare with the offset opening in each of said series of four being inthe perimeter of the square opposite said edge:

ALBERT A. REMBOLD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,424,053 Rembold July 15, 1947

